Over
the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! is the second game based on the Dreamworks animated
film, Over the Hedge. However, whereas the last game was more of a third-person
platform action game, Hammy Goes Nuts! is more of a puzzler game, putting you in
the role of the titular squirrel as he enlists the help of his buddies to repair
the cable TV. Hammy Goes Nuts! has some relatively rudimentary puzzle elements,
pretty much falling into the category of runaround quests in order to grab items
to use on other items. While more mature gamers may find this to be a little too
easy (and even tedious after a while) young gamers should be able to pick it up
and not be overwhelmed.
Over
the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! has you control Hammy through a variety of different
adventure game-style missions. The way these missions are divided is very
linear, requiring you to complete them in a particular order to progress to the
next area. For example the first stage that you must complete is opening a
cellar door to get to the next stage, but in order to do that you must get the
key (which is buried) with the shovel (which is broken), so you’ll need to fix
it before you can do anything else. Additionally, you’ll be able to enlist the
help of three of your buddies (Verne the turtle, RJ the raccoon and Stella the
Skunk) to help you on your way, each with their own personal skills to bring to
the game.
Hammy
Goes Nuts! is controlled completely with the stylus and touch screen, foregoing
the DS’s buttons altogether. You tap on the screen to guide Hammy around and
pick up items, or search objects. You can also select from your available roster
of buddies by tapping on their picture.
Structurally, Hammy Goes Nuts! won’t have a lot to offer those who have more
than a casual understanding of games. The puzzles are terribly easy, and you’ll
never have to do more than walk a little ways around the map to grab your
necessary item to proceed. While this makes the game work for very young
children, pretty much everyone else will be able to breeze right through it
without issue.
Graphically, the game looks pretty good on the DS. The characters and certain
items are rendered in 3D with detailed polygon models, and the 2D environments
are pretty bright and colorful. The sound effects are good, and the music keeps
with the light-hearted mood of the rest of the game, but is nothing to get
excited about.
Hammy
Goes Nuts! seems to work well for its key demographic, namely very young kids
who enjoyed the film. However, just about anyone else need not apply.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.0
The game features
a variety of easy to pick up puzzles that will undoubtedly appeal to the younger
audience. However, older fans might consider it overly simplistic.
Graphics: 8.0
Hammy Goes Nuts!
features some pretty impressive graphics, with well-animated 3D character models
in a top-down 2D environment.
Sound: 7.0
The sound isn’t
really anything special, with an appropriate, cutesy score setting the mood.
Difficulty: Easy
The game’s
puzzles are fairly easy by most gamer’s standards, but should be fun for kids.
Concept: 7.5
Hammy Goes Nuts!
is a bit of a simplistic puzzle game, but it caters well to its target audience.
Overall: 7.0
Hammy Goes Nuts!
may seem to be a bit too simple for most, young players should enjoy it.
